ARMY APPROPRIATION BILL, 1919. COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AFFAIRS, The committee met at 10.30 o'clock a. m., Hon. S. Hubert Dent (chairman), presiding. STATEMENT OF MAJ. GEN. ENOCH H. CROWDER, PROVOST MARSHAL GENERAL, ACCOMPANIED BY MAJ. H. C. KRAMER, CAPT. H. E. STEPHENSON, AND CAPT. C. R. MORRIS. The CHAIRMAN. Gen. Crowder, you have an item in the appropriation bill, "for all expenses necessary in the registration of persons available for military service and in the selection of such persons and their draft into the military service: Provided, That per diem allowances in lieu of subsistence, not exceeding $4, may be paid, to those employees authorized to travel and to board members when in attendance upon board meetings at too great a distance from their homes to enable them to live there," for which you are asking $15,762,000. The amount last year was $15,134,903. Gen. CROWDER. The first amount you read is the total amount appropriated thus far, as against $15,134,903 heretofore appropriated. The CHAIRMAN. Will you explain to the committee the different items contained in that estimate? Gen. CROWDER. May I first invite attention to the fact that this appropriation has heretofore been contained in urgent deficiencies bills only and has been considered by the Committee on Appropriations of the House. Because of the changing conditions in the operation of the draft and the uncertainties, I was unable last fall to submit the estimate as required by law for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 1918, and with the permission of the chairman of this committee I am submitting it now to your committee for consideration. I have also spoken to Mr. Sherley, the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations. Mr. GORDON. The reason it was not submitted in accordance with the provisions of the statute was that the amount was too uncertain. Gen. CROWDER. Because of the uncertainties in the operation of the draft. Mr. GORDON. And the difficulty of determining approximately what you would need. Gen. CROWDER. We were just commencing the work of the national classification, and we did not know what the resulting conditions. would be. Therefore I am late with this estimate. A note on the estimate reads: The above estimate for funds to continue the work of registration and draft during the fiscal year 1919 is submitted for transmission to the Congress of the 139 |